Studio Ghibli’s latest movie The Boy and the Heron has now had its English-language release in the US. Among the star-studded voice cast are Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, and Robert Pattinson, with the latter apparently smashing his recordings out of the park.
In an interview with IndieWire, Rodney Uhler, who works for distribution and production studio GKIDS, recalled his first interaction with The Batman star. "When we introduced the film to him, he was, I would say, giddy with excitement. He was nothing but enthusiastic about the project, not only because of the film but also because of the prospect of doing this role in particular."
Pattinson was later given the role of the Heron, as Uhler explains: "We didn’t offer him a platter of roles – we offered him only the Heron, and he was very, very excited about being presented with a role as complicated and nuanced as this one."
As the name suggests, the Heron plays a vital role in the movie which follows Mahito, a 12-year-old boy struggling to settle in a new town after his mother's death. Then the talking Heron enters the picture and informs Mahito that his mother is still alive, leading him to search for her in another world.
And when it came to recording, Pattinson came in all guns blazing to his first session ready to prove himself, as voice director Michael Sinterniklaas explained to Indie Wire. "He was like 'OK, I’ve been thinking about this role and I recorded some stuff. Do you want to hear it?'" Sinterniklaas said of the Twilight star. "And he whips out his iPhone and plays some stuff that he’s just been doing in the Memos app and it was already the voice. I was like, 'Oh, bingo, you’ve already got the character.'"
It seems as though the team made the right choice, as Pattinson’s portrayal of the Heron is truly spot on, and we can tell the actor had fun taking on the wild bird persona, a character that is so quintessentially Ghibli on its own.
The Boy and the Heron is out now in theaters in the US, the movie will hit UK cinemas on December 26, 2023. Studio Ghibli movies are available to stream on Netflix right now.
For more check out our list of the best upcoming movies heading your way, or stay on the animation train with our ranking of the best Studio Ghibli movies.
